Attic and rooftop fans such as those shown and described in reference to FIG. 1 have been known to become damaged from water intrusion that also damages rooms and structures underneath the locations of such fans. The water intrusion can come from condensation formed from different temperature conditions and humidity which is a long term problem especially in southern warm and humid climates such as Florida and the southern United States. In addition rain storms and hurricanes have also caused water to run into these fans which can damage the units as well as cause damage to the interior structures under the mounted fans.
FIG. 1 shows a typical and conventional air-exhausting device such as a rooftop or attic fan for exhausting air outwardly of a structure such as a house that contains a room R. The conventional air-exhausting apparatus can include a tubular base 1, a motor-mounting seat 2, a fan unit 3, and a cover 4. The tubular base 1 can have a lower open end 101 mounted on a roof 5′ of the closed room, and an upper open end 102. The motor-mounting seat 2 fit with by a sleeve in the base 1, and can have a surrounding wall 202 that can be connected fixedly to the upper end 102 and that is formed with a plurality of air holes 203, and a bottom wall 204 that is connected fixedly to a bottom end of the surrounding wall 202 and that can be formed with a plurality of through holes 205.
The fan unit 3 can be mounted in the motor-mounting seat 2, and include a drive motor 301 mounted on the bottom wall 204 of the motor-mounting seat 2, and a fan impeller 302 mounted on a motor shaft 304 of the drive motor 301. A cover 4 can cover a top of the motor-mounting seat 2.
In operation, the conventional air-exhausting device can be used to exhaust air outwardly of the room R, via the through holes 205 and the air holes 203 in the motor-mounting seat 2.
As previously described, the conventional device of FIG. 1 has been known to incur water leakage problems into the room under which it is mounted.
Due to the different temperatures between the room and the outside air, Consideration and water drops has been known to form between the base 1 and the surrounding wall 202 of the motor-mounting seat 2. As a result of this significant difference between an indoor temperature and an outdoor temperature, water droplets can then leak into the room via the air exhaust device.
Additionally, water from rain storms and hurricanes, and the like, has also been known to enter into the motor-mounting seat 2 via the air holes 203 and also result in water leakage into the room via the base 1. Having water leakage can and has resulted in damage to the contents and structures inside the rooms as well as cause health risks from any resulting mold and mildew.
Still furthermore, the water leakage can damage the fan components such as the motor and cause possible short circuits, that can cause fires and other types of damage.
The lifespan of using the conventional outdoor attic and rooftop fans is severely limited since they are susceptible to damage and cannot be expected to work over extended periods of time, especially after storm and hurricane type conditions.
Solutions to try to resolve these problems are generally not practical. For example, sealing the conventional attic and rooftop fan against water leakage would not work since the fans are required to exhaust air from the structure. In addition heat from running the fan motor must also be dissipated and any sealing of the fan can result in other damage such as overheating, fire, and the like.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art.